Security Crisis Casts Shadow Over Boxing Championship, High-Profile WWE Matches Scheduled at Riyadh

The United StateS State Department’s order for non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia is raising fears about the safety of two major sporting events scheduled over the next several weeks, putting pressure on organizers to explain why the shows should go on as planned.One of boxing’s biggest global attractions, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, is scheduled to challenge Christian Mbilli for the World Boxing Council’s super middleweight championship on October 31 at Riyadh. The main event headlines a Ring Magazine card billed as “Mexico vs. The World.”On November 7, WWE is set to stage its Crown Jewel 2026 at Riyadh Season Stadium, featuring championship matches between the promotion’s top stars from RAW and Smackdown. The event is being touted as a prelude to hosting WrestleMania there next year.As of now, both events are scheduled to take place as planned, despite the State Department’s warning of escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In a security alert issued Wednesday, the U.S. embassy warned American citizens of the possibility of further attacks on civilian infrastructures, including airports, and of significant travel disruptions. That warning followed a series of deadly Houthi attacks in recent weeks that targeted the country’s main transportation hub, King Khalid International Airport at Riyadh, as well as Saudi military facilities, oil infrastructure, and maritime traffic.“Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X.The conflict has already caused major disruptions in the region’s sports schedule. A tennis event, the Six Kings Slam, originally scheduled for October 21-24 as part of Riyadh Season, was postponed until December. The Saudi International golf tournament was also postponed. Yet, Mr. Alvarez plans to go forward with his fight set for Kingdom Arena, located about 20 miles from King Khalid International where 12 people were killed and more than 300 injured by the missile attack earlier this month. The fight is part of a four-fight $400 million deal Mr. Alvarez signed last year with Riyadh Season, funded by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority headed by Turki Alashikh. “Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens,” Mr. Alalshikh posted on his social media account. “He fears nothing.”Others involved on card have expressed concerns, including a former boxer, Robert Garcia, currently training Lindolfo Delgado, who is fighting on the undercard. Mr. Garcia expressed his uneasiness with the conflicts in Saudi Arabia and the lack of clear communication about travel plans to prepare for the trip.“I don’t want to be in a documentary 25 years from now, talking about all these brave fighters that went out there and coaches and managers and trainers that went out there and never came back,” Mr. Garcia told Boxing Scene. “Hell no. I don’t want to be in that documentary.”Mr. Garcia said his team is being held up by not receiving details about flights and other logistical considerations from Mr. Alalshikh’s promotional company. “We’ve been waiting,” he said. “We have no flights; we have no information, so honestly, I don’t know what’s going to happen. They should be flying out in the next couple of days to be there at least one week before (the fight). We can’t be sitting and waiting and thinking, they’ll send it to us. They should have sent it to us already.”Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, who once promoted Mr. Alvarez, has called for the fight to be cancelled or moved to a different venue. “Canelo has no fear because he’s flying into a private airport,” Mr. De La Hoya wrote on social media. “But what about everyone else associated with the event? They’re scared. How is this event not canceled? It’s an enormous safety concern.”Apparently, DAZN, the platform scheduled to stream the fight, is adjusting its plans due to the conflicts, which continued Thursday with Houthi strikes on the capital’s ministry of defense, oil facilities, and airports at the provincial capitals of Damman and Abha. According to boxing insider Dan Rafael, DAZN is considering calling the card remotely from a studio in London rather than sending its broadcast team to sit ringside.WWE’s Crown Jewel faces a similar question of timing. The company has maintained a substantial presence in Saudi Arabia since signing a 10-year partnership with the kingdom in 2018. The agreement has helped make WWE a recurring fixture in the country’s sports-entertainment calendar while supporting Saudi Arabia’s broader effort to attract international events and audiences.WWE has said the November 7 event remains on the schedule. But with the State Department warning of potential attacks and other sporting events already postponed, the security situation presents a challenge that could affect future decisionmaking.For Saudi Arabia, the stakes extend beyond a single boxing match or wrestling show. The kingdom has invested heavily in using sports to establish itself as a global entertainment hub. The ability to stage major events safely is central to that ambition.

Security Crisis Casts Shadow Over Boxing Championship, High-Profile WWE Matches Scheduled at Riyadh

Security Crisis Casts Shadow Over Boxing Championship, High-Profile WWE Matches Scheduled at Riyadh

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